Babymother (1998)Auteur visions, artistic performances and childhood adventures arrive on BFI Blu-ray and DVD this summer, across a diverse slate of releases.
This July, as previously announced, sees the release of Ingmar Bergman: Volume 1, the first of a four-volume collection celebrating the director’s work. Featuring 2K restorations of eight early films either directed or written by Bergman, the set marks the first time these films will be available on Blu-ray in the UK.
Directed by Julian Henriques, Babymother is widely considered to be the first true Black British musical. Depicting the vibrant, energetic culture at the heart of late-1990s Harlesden, the film – newly remastered by the BFI – is released on Blu-ray for the first time ever in July.
Also in July, An Unflinching Eye: The Films of Richard Woolley returns to the BFI DVD catalogue. This four-disc reissue features two never-before-released audio commentaries by the director, a booklet with essays by Anthony Nield and Richard Woolley and newly created English hard-of-hearing subtitles .
A widow uncovers her husband’s secret life in Aleem Khan’s immensely moving debut feature. Featuring a compelling lead performance from Joanna Scanlan, After Love is released on BFI Blu-ray in August following a UK-wide theatrical run in June.
Featuring highlights from the Arts Council England archive, Great Noises That Fill the Air is a unique collection of music, poetry and performance on film. Available this August, this new two-disc DVD collection showcases a diverse range of rich and inventive performance art, including Linton Kwesi Johnson in Dread Beat an’ Blood (dir. Franco Rosso, 1979) and John Cooper Clarke in Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt (dir. Nick May, 1984).
Rod Steiger stars as a disillusioned and bereft survivor of the Holocaust in The Pawnbroker. Directed by Sidney Lumet, the release – out in August – marks the first time this milestone drama has been made available on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK.
August also sees Jean Renoir’s intoxicating first colour feature The River arrive on BFI Blu-ray. Presented in a high definition digital transfer from the restoration by the Film Foundation, this sumptuous Technicolor feast has been described by Martin Scorsese as “one of the most beautiful colour films ever made”.
And finally, nine more highlights from the Children’s Film Foundation arrive on DVD with our Bumper Box: Volume 3. Featuring a host of famous faces including Phil Collins, Ronnie Barker and George Cole, this new three-disc set concludes our August slate.
